Voting behaviour and the media Flashcards
social Class
AB - Managerial position - Conservative
C1 - Junior Managers - typically Conservative
C2 - Skilled Manual - typically Labour
DE - Semi-skilled/Unskilled Worker - Labour
influence of class on voting
Influential in 60s - less so now
Class = identity
Parties have a strong root in communities, eg Labour and TU
Selfish - Con protects wealthy, Lab aids poor
class voting stats
class voting DE for Lab
1967 - 64%
2015 - 41%
class voting AB for Con
1967 - 78%
2017 - 43%
smaller parties
UKIP - 17% DE
Lib Dem - 8% AB
reasons for decline of class voting
class dealignment - people no longer feel heavily associated to a class
Lib Dems and centerist parties appealed to a wider class base
rise in the importance of valence which is more important than class
deviant voters
People who vote against their social characteristics - eg working class conservative
floating voter
votes unpredictably in election
class voting and EU referendum
DE voted 64% to leave
AB 43% to leave
ACTUALLY more issue based - class C2 D and E was more negatively effected by an EU membership
instrumental voting
voting on self interest - often economic
Gender and voting
no difference in how they vote
Age and voting
younger = labour - less responsibilities, more socialists views, more equality, emotional voters
younger = radical - SNP, Green, Lib Dems etc
older = conservative - more responsibilities, rational
young voting proof
black minority ethnic [BME] vote labour
70% - 1997
65% - 2017
approx 20% for conservative
reduction of ethnic voting
the BME communities are climbing the class ladder and therefore the amount of labour voters has reduced - but still established party links
region and voting
voting due to living in an area
eg lab better organised in North
often class voting - eg rich and con
what factors actually effect voting?
age, ethnicity, region/economic, [class]
why does turnout vary?
importance - the valence of issues being discussed
close majority - the more likely a majority the lower the turnout eg 2001/5 con very divided therefore obvious a lab gov
hapathy - 2001 people satisfied therefore don’t need to vote
class turnout
C, D and E often have a lower turnout as they may feel the outcome doesn’t effect them or they feel more distant from politics
long term downward trend in turnout
consists of mostly and downward voting figure for 18-24 - young voting fell 50% 1992 –>
due to:
apathy and dissillusionment - policies that discriminate against the young eg high tuition fees and the idea that voting has no effect
participation outside of voting eg petitions
increased interest in single issues, not parties
the need to abstain from voting
dissillusionment
belief that politics does not take into account the views of the young/poor
apathy
lack of interest in voting as it is felt they have no effect
abstention
not voting as a protest to parties or whole system
factors against decreasing turnout
labour, Lib Dems, and green all reported growing memberships after 2015 GE and EU referendum
youth turnout was high at Scottish independence - 16-17=75%, 18-24=54% and at the EU referendum - 18-24=64%
2017 GE saw a rise in youth vote 18-24=54%
turnout by age groups 2017
18-24 = 54% (this is a major increase, usually 40%)
45-54 = 66%
65+ = 71%
significance of turnout by age
majorly benefits conservative
turnout by class 2017
AB = 69%
DE = 53%
